Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-02-21
EXCHANGING EYES.
Removing Rabbits Eye and Placing 1t IL
Human Beings Head.

Removing Rabbits Eye and Placing II In
Human Beings Head.
New YORK, Feb. l4-There has just
been tried in this city, for the first and
probably the last time, the experiment Of
transferring the eye OF living rabbit to
the head Of living human being. Mr..
Charles A. Williams, city editor of the
Minneapolis Tribune, lost his right
eye seventeen Years ago by the
explosion of a tire-cracker. A few
months ago the left eye began to trouble
him and the doctor told him he would
have to have the extinct eye removed 10
save the other. Mr.. Williams had read
accounts of experiments made in
Paris in TRANSFORMING rabbits eyes and
also of those made more recently by
Dr.. May of this city. DR.. May be-
gan a series Of experiments in trans
planting living eyes from one rabbit to
another, and in five cases out Of twenty
four was successful. Mr.. Williams, who
had read OF DR.. Mays experiment, came
to New York in the latter part Of January
and offered himself IS subject on which
| TO perform the experiment.
| The operation was performed on the
morning of February /, in Mr.. Williams
room ct ll9 East FOrty-ninth street. Mr.
Williams was in fine physical condition,
and is man of much nervous vitality
and force. With DR.. May there came to
Mr.. Williams room DR.. Gruening,
DR.. Wilmer, half . dozen medical
students and a professional nurse. The
animal which was 10 contribute an eve
for Mr. Wi liams' aGornmen5 was very
| large Belgian hare, with eyes which al
most matched Mr.. Williams in color, ex-
capt tnat they were lst 4 shade darker
and - smaller, Mr.. Williams left the
! room and the rahJit was placed on q ia.
bic and subjected to the influence of
ether. Mr.. Williams was then
brought to the room aad laid
upon sofa few feet away
from the table on which ley the rabbit.
When Mr.. Williams was also under the
influence of ether, the first step in the
operation, both upon the rabbit and upon
Mr.. Williams eye, was to cut loose the
cOniunction"l 5 ck from the muscles which
control the movement of the eye, and as
| they were cut their ends were caught
with a ligature of silk thread. The
optic nerves in the rabbits eye and in
the eye of the human being were severed
was then made as quickly as possible, the
optic nerve Joined, and the muscles l.
the human head attached to the conjunc-
tional sack of the rabbits eye, which was
then put into its place. The entire oper-
alton lasted an hour and quarter. Both
eyes were tightly bandaged, and Mr. Will
Jams was placed upon his back in bed
On the second day, when the bandages
were removed, there was observable d
slight harness upon the corner of the
rabbit eye, and the fourth day Mr.
Williams was able to roll his
eyes naturally and simultaneously,
proving that the muscular attach
ment had been perfected. On the
evening OF the eighth day there was q
slight discoloration and moisture on the
bandage, which indicated rupture of the
cornea. This enlarged, and on the next
day nearly all the coloring matter Of the
| iris lad run out. Nothing was LETT then
but to remove the rabbits eye, and Mr..
Williams will in few days have q glass
eye put in and go home.